It Was Over
by FangZeronos
Summary: Set after the last half hour of Arkham Knight, Bruce deals with the realization of what just happened and has a final confrontation with Harley Quinn.


It was over. The entire world knew that Bruce Wayne and Batman were the same man now. Thanks to Scarecrow making Jim Gordon unmask him on television, Bruce knew everything was over. Flying down to Panessa Studios and taking the elevator down to the base within it, Bruce let his cowl hit the ground as he took it off, sitting in a chair and sighing to himself, feeling worn out and rundown after the long night dealing with the Arkham Knight and Scarecrow.

He put his head in his hands at the computer, looking at his reflection. "It's for the best," he muttered. "Barbara, Tim, Dick...they can do this without me."

"Talkin' to yourself again, Bats?" the shrill voice of Harley Quinn asked, Bruce turning and staring at her. "Geeze, you look like crap."

"Thank you for the observation," Bruce said. He walked over and unlocked the cell, stepping back as the door opened. "Please get out."

Harley slid off of the cot she was on, narrowing her eyes as she looked at Bruce, walking out slowly. "You ain't pullin' a trick are you, Bats?" she asked. "You ain't gonna Batarang me as I walk out?"

"No," Bruce said, sitting down again and sighing. "I'm done, Harley..."

"What'd you mean, done? You lose your mind?" Harley asked, grabbing a second chair. "I ain't leavin' until we got this sorted, Bats. What happened out there tonight?" 

Bruce knew there was no use, and he described everything that happened since locking Harley in the cell, his hands clenched the entire time. "Now I've got nothing left. Everyone knows that Bruce Wayne and Batman are the same man, and the people I care for outside of this are going to be targetted now."

Harley nodded, her arms folded across her chest. "Tell me somethin'. How'd you convince Red to help you?" she asked. "Thought she didn't like us meatbags?"

"Not all of us," Bruce said. "Her plants were going to die as well. We found two ancient roots under GOtham City, and she brought them to the surface to stop the Cloudburst. The second one...the strain ws too much on her. I went to check on her, catching her as she fell out. The...the last thing she whispered was "Nature always wins." before she faded away..."

"Red...she's dead?" Harley asked, her hands clenching as she stood up and swung the chair she was on at Bruce, hitting him across the chest and knocking him out of the chair, her hands shaking. "You killed her?!" 

Bruce looked down as he slowly stood up. "If that's what you want to think of it as," he whispered. "I didn't mean it to happen, Harley. I asked her for help and she gave her help. Her last act was saving Gotham City."

"You son of a bitch!" Harley screamed, lunging at Bruce and tackling him to the ground, slamming punch after punch into him, grabbing whatever she could to beat him with. After ten minutes she finally stopped, falling to the ground and crying as she covered her face. "You took them both away from me..."

Bruce stood up slowly, looking down at Harley. "I'm sorry, Harley. I'm truly sorry for everything. I'm sorry Joker manipulated you back in Blackgate, making you into this. I'm so sorry for everything that's happened to you," he whispered. "And I'm so sorry for taking them both away from you..."

Harley stood up, punching Bruce in the mouth one last time. "No, not yet you're not. You won't ever truly know how sorry you are for everything! You took my Mr. J away from me! You took Pammy away from me! I should kill you where you stand, Bruce!"

"Then why don't you?" Bruce asked, looking at Harley as he wiped a bit of blood from his lip. "I'm standing right here, Harley. Do it if you think you can." He took his utility belt off and threw it on the floor in front of Harley, standing in the middle of the room. "Explosive gel, Batarangs, Remote Electrical Gun, Smoke pellets so I won't see you coming, Batclaw to rip my throat out, line launcher to run me through and string me up on the wall. Pick something and do it then if you've got the guts."

Harley picked the belt up, her hands shaking as she looked at it. After a long few minutes, she dropped it back on the ground. "Take me there," she whispered. "Please, Bruce...lemme say goodbye to her...just this one thing..."

Bruce nodded, clipping his belt back on and walking with Harley out of the room to the elevator, leading her outside. He summoned the Batmobile with the remote function, the canopy opening as it stopped. "Get in," he said, his cowl securing back around his head before he got in after her. He drove in silence to the Miagani Botanical Gardens, stopping under the giant plant. "We're here." He got out and helped Harley out, the Clown Queen of Crime looking up at the plant.

"Jeeze, Red," she whispered. "How do we get up there?"

"This way," Bruce said, picking Harley up and grappling up to the roof, landing beside the 'door' that Ivy'd made inside of the plant to use her. He let Harley go, watching her run over to the plant growing out of what remained of Ivy's old Arkham Asylum shirt.

Harley knelt down, closing her eyes and touching the plant lightly. "Hi, Red," she whispered. "Hope you're ok wherever you are. I'm so sorry this happened to you, sweetie..." She started crying again, her tears hitting the petals on the plant as they fell.

Bruce sighed softly, walking over and putting his hand on Harley's shoulder. He knelt beside her, looking at the plant. "If you hadn't been in the City and if her plants hadn't been threatened by Scarecrow and Jason...I don't think she would have helped us, Harley. She did more for this City tonight then I did, and I can't thank her for helping me," he whispered. "She's the real hero tonight, not me." 

"She was always the hero to me," Harley whispered, touching the plant lightly. "Can I stay here? PLease?"

Bruce nodded softly. "I'll send one of the others to find you later," he whispered, giving Harley's hand a squeeze before he walked over and dropped off of the roof, landing beside the Batmobile again. "Alfred."

 _"Yes, Master Bruce?_

"Send the Batwing to GCPD. I'm ending this now," Bruce said. "Knightfall Protocol." 

_"Yes, sir,"_ Alfred said, looking at the computer and knowing better then to question Bruce. _"Authorization required, Sir."_

"Martha," Bruce whispered.

 _"Knightfall activated, Master Bruce,"_ Alfred said. _"I will await your return."_

Bruce returned to GCPD, the Batwing landing on the street. The oficers poured outside, Cash carrying Barbara since her wheelchair was gone. He got out of the Batmobile and walked over, taking Barbara's hand softly. "Thank you for everything, Barbara," he whispered, hugging her softly.

"You're welcome, Bruce," Barbara whispered, leaning up and kissing his cheek softly, tears in her eyes. "We'll keep Gotham safe." 

"I know," Bruce whispered. "After tonight, there'll be something in the mail for you and Tim for the wedding. My last gift to you two. One's on it's way to Dick in Bludhaven, and...Jason's is under his headstone on Wayne Manor property." 

Barbara nodded. "I'll find him and tell him," she whispered. "Goodbye, Bruce."

"Goodbye, Barbara," Bruce said, looking at the officers. "Aaron-" 

"Save it, Batman," Cash said, smiling softly. "You did what you did for the City, and we can't forget that. I'd salute you, but I've got my hands full."

"Everyone says that about me," Barbara said with a grin, making Bruce chuckle softly.

"You don't have to," Bruce said, walking back to the Batmobile and driving it into the carrier under the Batwing, moving up to the cockpit and taking off for Wayne Manor and the final goodbyes.

After arriving at the Manor, Bruce dropped out of the Batwing inside of the gates, hearing the reporters and chatter from behind himself. He undid the cowl for the last time, letting it fall to the ground before he walked into the Manor, seeing Alfred standing inside of the door like always.

"Welcome home, Master Bruce," the old butler said.

"Goodbye, Alfred," Bruce said, hugging his oldest friend for the first time since his parents deaths so many years before. "Knightfall Protocol. Final activation. Bruce Wayne 51939#27."

Outside, the reporters watched as the Manor exploded, taking Bruce and Alfred with it, screaming filling the air as they scrambled to avoid the debris from the blast, Vicki Vale the only one not running away as she stood her ground, staring at the smoldering remains of the Manor.

"Goodbye, Bruce," she whispered.

As the clouds settled over the rising Gotham City sun after the long Halloween night, the remains of the Manor were finally seen in a horrific state, the realization that Batman and Bruce Wayne were dead settling into the chilly morning. It was over.


End file.
